The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-08-03
Some Light on the Convict Labor
Question.

EueoLiVus
WASHINGTON, July 24.--The commits.
sioner of labor has Just received from the
public printer advance copies of his re-
port on convict labor in the United
States.
The total number ofiprisoners of all
grades employed in the institutions COM
pretended in the report is 64,349, the
males numbering So, 454 and the females
5,So5. Of this total number 1927 are
engaged in productive labor of some
kind, 1900 are engaged in prison duties,
and 1872 are sick or idle. Of the total
number 1887 are employed under the
public account system, 1850 under the
contract system, 5,676 under the piece
price system and 91O4 under the lease
system. The State having the largest
number of convicts in the institutions
considered, is New York, its total being
s,7O3.
Included in these computations are
1,240 prisoners of the United States sem
fenced to different penal institutions of
the several States and Territories. The
prison population of the classes of insti.
tutions treated of is, as stated, 64,349, a
proportion of population of the United
States as at present estimated of l in
$50, but the proportion to those engaged
in mechanical, agricultural and mining
pursuits in the whole country is about l
convict to every 800 persons employed.
The total value Of goods made and work
done by productive labor in the penal
institutions of the whole country is $685..
753,999. It took 1927 convicts one
year to produce this total value. 1t
would have taken 5,534 free laborers to
produce the same quantity of goods in
the same time; or, in other words, free
laborer is equal to 1.27 convict, or to re.
verse the statement, l convict is equal to
rs of free laborer. The number of
free lsborers necessary to perform the
same labor has been figured from the
estimates of prison officials and others
familiar with the work.
The State producing the largest
amount of convict.made goods is New
York, the value there being s6,236,267
worth of couvict.made goods. Indiana
comes next with product of the value
of $l,57O,9 ,9O1, while Ohio stands next
with a product of the value Of 81 ,368,122;
then Missouri. s1,342,02o, then Pennsyl-
vania sl,317,265, Kansas s1,270,575,
Tennessee with only $1,l42,OOO, then
Michigan Sl,oS7,7S6, and last Of the
States producing over million dollars
worth, New Jersey, Sl,Ole6OS. Each Of
the other States and Territories drop
below the million dollar point, Dakota
coming at the bottom Of the list, with
product of sl1,577.
The commissioner discusses at length
the system of employing convicts now in
vogue. In each of these serious faults are
found, the principal one being that by
either Of them convict labor is brought
into direct competition with free labor.
The plan which finds most favor with the
commissioner is that of hand labor under
the public account system. Of this plan
he says:
"It involves the carrying on Of the in
dustries of the prison for the benefit of
the State, but without the use of power
machinery, tools and hand machines
only being allowed, the goods to be made
to consist of such articles as boots and
shoes, the coarse woollen and cotton
cloth needed for the institution, or for
sale to other institution, harness aud sad.
dlery, and many other goods now made
by machinery or not now made at all in
prisons. With such plan in vogue
throughout the United States or in the
msjority of States there could be no COM
plant as to the effects of convict labor
upon the rates of wages or upon the sale
Of goods, either in price or in quantity.
The convicts could be constantly EN-.
ployed under direction and supervision
entirely of prison officers. None of the
objections or disadvantages arising under
the contract system, or piece price modi.
fcation thereof, or under the public
account system with power machinery,
can be raised against this plan"